Gas ignition means for gas furnace burners



June 23, 1931. R. E. FRASER GAS IGNITION MEANS F OR GAS FURNACE BURNERS Filed March .25, 1929 INVENTOR R.EF1-aSer BY ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RICHARD E. FRASER, OI STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO FRASER FURNACE COMPANY, 01 STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION 01' CALIFORNIA GAS IGNITION MEANS FOR GAS FURNACE BURN'EBS Application filed March 25, 1929. Serial No. 849,610.

, This invention relates to gas burners, especially those used in connection with a heating furnace of that type in which the burner is more or less inaccessible to the operator and the ordinary match lighting operation is not easily carried out.

I have therefore vin mind to ignite the gas by an electric spark, and the principal ob ject of my invention is'to provide a combination gas control valve and switch structure for the spark device so arranged as to be readily controlled froma remote point, and so constructed that the switch will be closed and a spark formed before the gas is actually turned on.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sparking apparatus so related to the burner that the spark as formed is immediately adjacent the burner, so that the gas will be instantly ignited as soon as it is turned on and emerges from the burner.

- I am aware of course that some furnaces of this eneral character which are now on the mar et are already provided with electric ignition means for t e as. In all such devices, however, as far as am aware, the gas is turned on full before the switch is closed, so that a large volume of gas is unavoidably present in the gas chamber and about the burner before the spark is formed. Also the sparking points, to prevent burning, are usually positioned some distance .to

one side of the actual normal path of, flow of the gas, which further'retards the ignition of the gas and necessitates the chamber in which the spark device is located filling up with gas before they same will be ignited. As a result of this arrangement the ignition of the gas when it occurs has practically the effect of a mild explosion.

My improved ignition arrangement, as

will be seen hereinafter, avoids both these undesirable features and enables the gas to be ignited the instant it begins to flow from the burner and before any unburnt gas has a chance to fill the chamber.

-I have also arrangeda simple apparatus to enable the gas to be ignited by a pilot light in the event the electricity fails,withinto the outer en out interfering in any way with the control of the gas flow.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These ob ects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear b a perusal of the following specification an claim.

In the drawings similar characters of ref erence indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

' Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved gas ignitionand control mechanism shown in connection with a burner.

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the gas valve and switch unit detached, and associated with a pilot light valve.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross section of the valve and switch unit taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2. e

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a gas burner, which is in the form of a hollow casting having a plurality of upstanding jets or nipples 2 and adapted to be removablymounted in an open bottomed casing 3.

A spark plug 5 is m'ounted in one side of the casing said plug having only a single centrally disposed and relatively long contact stem 6 which forms one electrode. The other electrode is the adjacent burner jet 7, which jet is not integral with the burner as are the other jets but is of a relatively hard metal, specific pu ose.

(lonnecte to the base of the burner is the horizontal mixin pipe 8 of usual character 5 of which, beyond one side of the casin the gas valve 9 rojects. This valve is of t e standard type fdr the in ose having a plug 10, a quarter turn 0 w ich fully opens or closesthe valve. The valve opposite to the mixing pi e is screwed into a manifold 11 to Whlcll t e main gas pipe 12 is connected. This manifold is sup orted in a horizontal position from a brac et 13 special and as 1s necessary for its depending from the adjacent side of the casing. The-valve is set with its plug in a vertical position and with its operating end upwardly, and formed on its upper end is a horizontal disc 14. A socket member 15 to receive the vertical operating rod 16 which extends up to the top of the furnace is superimposed on the disc; said socket member being turnably centralized on the the lug being then suflicient so as to absolutely prevent the possible jumping of a spark therebetween.

The under side of the pin 19 is provided with binding nuts 23 to which a wire 24 is connected; said wire leading to one terminal of a transformer 25 with an induction coil 26 interposed therebet-ween. The other wire 27 from the transformer is connected to the plug 5.

Since there is a continual metal connec tion from the burner nipple 7 to the sleeve 15 it will be seen that when the lug 18 engages the pin 19 a circuit will be closed through the plug and burner, causing a spark to be formed between the plug contact 6 and the adjacent nipple 7.

The valve is arranged to be opened in the direction of rotation of the sleeve 15 toward the pin 19 and it will be seen that with the initial turning movement of the sleeve the lug must engage the pin 19 before any turning movement is imparted to the valve plug. The spark circuit therefore will be closed before any gas is fed to the burner, and since such gas will flow from the nipple 7 as readily as from the other nipples the gas will be instantly ignited by the already present spark.

A continued turning movement of the rod and disc in the same direction will of course control the extent to which the valve is opened and the volume of the gas feed to the burner. A release of the turning presss sure on the operating rod enables the spring 22 to at once act to pull the lug 18 away from the contact pin 19 and against the stop pin 21, breaking the circuit while leaving the valve in its set position. A rotation of the rod in the opposite direction causes the lug to bear against the stop pin 21 and turn the disc to a valve closing position without again closing the circuit.

To enable the burner to be operated in the event that the electricity K fails, which of thereto.

course does not interfere with the opening or closing of the gas valve, another gas valve 28 is mounted in the manifold 11 to one side of the valve 9. From this valve a small pipe 29 leads to the burner adjacent the jets, the outer end of this pipe being open and adapted to serve as a pil t jet. The valve is provided with a vertical operating rod 30 so that it may be opened and closed, this valve and its control rod being of courseindependent of the main valve 9.

It will be noted that the burner, the plug and the valves are all below the bottom of the main gas chamber and the bottom 31 of the chamber-surrounding casing, so that any or all of these parts may be easily inspected or removed at any time without disturbing the casing or any parts rigidly secured From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still 'in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A combination gas valve and electric switch including a valve member, a turnable plug therein, a disc rigid with the plug, a contact pinupstanding from the disc in offset relation to the plug, a vertical socket member resting on the disc, a stem formed with said member to turnably seat in the disc centrally thereof, said socket being adapted to receive an operating rod in nonturnable but removable relation, and an arm formed with the socket and projecting radially therefrom to engage the cont-act pin.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

RICHARD E. FRASER. 

